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Wolverine & Shadowcat: The Long Way Home
It was a horrible time to be a mutant. Even the most heroic of them had been turned in to villains, blamed for all of the world's problems. They were an easy target because they were different, and if history taught the survivors of this hellish world one thing—it was that people did not like "different". Fear had polluted the population of the towns and cities that were scattered across the country, turning them in to heavily-guarded safe havens which were sprinkled with "no mutants allowed" signs upon every wall and hulking billboards that could be seen for miles. Huge walls were erected as a way of protecting the people from the mutant threat, though they were no use. The mutant gene could not be eradicated, and while most powers began to develop around the puberty stage, it was not uncommon for symptons to begin showing during adulthood. Best friends and family members were suddenly ostrichsed from society, forced in to exile for a condition that they had no control over.
The X-Men, a group formed by Charles Xavier, sought to protect those who were confused, angry or in danger from a world that hated them. His dream of humans and mutants co-existing with one another had turned in to a dystopian nightmare, though even as they hid like rats in a sewer, he still had faith that one day, his dreams would become a reality.
His team would be sent to find mutants and "bring them home", though they were not always successful. Tonight was one of those nights.
Bobby Drake had been one of the longest-serving members of the X-Men, despite his young age compared to his peers. The harsh world of survival had roughened his exterior—gone was the clean-shaven look and the youthful features of his face. Even his immature behaviour, something which Bobby was known for, had been replaced with a weary outlook on life. It was perhaps for that reason that he had drifted apart from his ex-girlfriend Kitty over the last few years, something which had resulted in their break-up. With their constant struggles with survival weighing down upon their shoulders, there had been no time for mourning or emotional problems. It had left some long-standing awkwardness between the pair, a longing for closure that never seemed to come.
Of course, tonight was one of those nights that he would be paired with Kitty and even someone a mile away could feel the tension. He had trouble even looking at her, and the moment their eyes would meet, he was quick to roll them away. Bobby pushed his himself back against the wall of the alleyway, tilting his head round the corner to look at the empty midnight street. Soaked newspapers fluttered around like tumbleweeds, while the buzzing of a blinking neon sign could be heard from nearby.
It was quiet. Or as the cliché went, it was too quiet for a city with a population bursting at the seams, where the citizens were stuffed in to apartment blocks like cattle. With large parts of the country now uninhabited wasteland, these downtown areas found themselves struggling to cope with the influx of so-called refugees.
"That's his apartment, right there." Bobby whispered, looking at one of the tall structures a short walk from the alleyway. "What room is it?" He asked, his head turning towards Kitty but his eyes seemingly reluctant to turn with it. "Can you remember?"